In principle Liberty supports the Children Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2017. However, Liberty Victoria’s view is that the proposed regime goes too far and needs to be amended to ensure that the range of information that can be stored is clearly defined, that children have the opportunity to give consent wherever possible, and that there are clear rules about the types of people that are able to access the information.
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Tue, 06/03/2018 - 12:06
New laws aimed at improving child safety need better provisions, the human rights group Liberty Victoria warned today.
The laws set up a regime to allow a range of professionals to share information about children to promote their safety. They include child protection workers, teachers and health professionals.
“Liberty Victoria’s view is that the proposed regime needs to be amended to ensure that the range of information that can be stored is more clearly defined,” said Liberty president Jessie Taylor.
Submitted by Liberty Victoria on Mon, 12/02/2018 - 16:52
Liberty Victoria labelled the opposition’s proposed plan to allow concerned parents access to photographs and other details of sex offenders "an unnecessary and costly scheme that would have no impact on the rates of sexual offences in Victoria."
Liberty Victoria President Jessie Taylor dismissed the proposal as “an irrational and expensive attempt to make political gain out of a highly emotive issue without reference to any available evidence.”
This Bill seeks to amend the Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic) (“the Act”). We recognise that the amendments in this Bill arise in part out of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and that the protection of children is paramount in consideration of the implementation of this Bill. However, it is our view that the Bill goes beyond the limits of what is reasonable and practicable in balancing the interests of children with the rights of people to be involved in the lives of children.
